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Live births—There were 65,617 live births registered in London in the year; after
correction for residence the final figure of births allocated to London was 57,368, an
increase of 2,177 over 1959, giving a birth rate of 18.0 per 1,000 population compared with
17.2 in 1959 and 16.8 in 1958. The post.war trend in London followed closely that for
England and Wales until 1956 when the rise in the London rate preceded a similar rise in
the country as a whole; in 1957 the two rates were again almost identical, but since then
the crude London rate has continued to exceed the national rate: the major factor contributing
to the increased birth rate, both local and national, appears at present to be the increased
proportion of women of child.bearing age who are married. The two rates are not
however strictly comparable because the proportion of women of child.bearing age in
the population is greater in London than in England and Wales; adjusting for this difference
by multiplying the crude rate by the Registrar General's area comparability factor for
London births (0.90) the rate becomes 16.2. The crude birth rate for the past 10 years is
shown in Figure 1 below, together with the national rate and the adjusted birth rate.
1952
1954
1956
1950
I960
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